My bottling experience and questions

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doubletapbrewing

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I bottled my first batch today and overall it went pretty smooth. I was most worried about this process and did the most planning mainly because I wasn't sure what to expect. I had read and watched videos on the rest of the process but it is amazing that there is so little info on bottling.

I actually enjoyed bottling. I know many of you dislike it and switch to kegging, but I am quite content with my bottling process right now that I do not foresee myself switching for a little while.

I started by soaking my bottles that still had labels on them in the sink with hot water. I was going to put some bleach in there but decided against it. How do you guys go about doing this?

I then brushed out the bottles with the bottle brush that I had. After that I dipped the bottles into my star san mixture and then dumped the water back into the bucket. I was using my bottling bucket for this since I figured I would knock out 2 birds with 1 stone and sanitize both at the same time. I then put the bottles upside down on a cloth and dipped my caps into the sanitized water. After that, I siphoned the star san water into 6 gallon jugs to save it for my next brew.

I then boiled 2 1/2 cups of water and added my priming sugar to it. I let that mixture cool for about 10 minutes then dumped it into the now empty/sanitized bottling bucket. I put my primary fermenter on a chair and started the racking process.

After it was all into the bottling bucket I set the bottling bucket on top of the fridge so I had a good flow out of the spicket, down my tubing, and into my bottling cane. I filled each bottle up until the foam came to the top or spilled over a little. There was a little but more foam than I expected in the bottle, is this normal?

My bottles are now sitting under my bed in 6 packs conditioning. I figured I would let them sit for a week and then decide if they need longer. How does my process sound to all of you? Any changes or tips you might have would be appreciated!:mug:
 
Baking soda & warm water will peel those labels right off after about a 30 min soak. My first bottling was a week ago, similar experience as you. I had a good time with it, except for somehow managing to snap the top off my first bottle when I tried to cap it.
 
First of all it sounds like it all went well.

First of all the 2 1/2 cups of priming sugar...where did you get that amount? I suggest using an online calculator or beersmith as the amount of priming sugar you add varies by beer temp and the desired carbonation.

I have never heard of sanitizing caps before, I've never done it but that doesn't mean it isn't necessary.

When I bottle there is always a bit of foam but I use a bottling and when the liquid reaches the top of the bottle then I pull it out. It's pretty consisted with the amount that commercial beers are filled to.

I would let them age for more than one week. I will try 1 beer per week, after crashing in the freeezer for about 20 - 25 minutes, just to see how it is aging and to make sure I didn't make bottle bombs.

My process is ferment for 21 days, bottle age for 21 days, then enjoy.
 
1). To remove labels and clean bottles, soak in a solution of PBW for a few hours. If you don't have to remove labels, just a quick wash in PBW will work. Rinse well when you're done washing (I just toss them in a bucket of clean water).

2). Did you use a bottling wand? If not, how did you bottle? I wouldn't suggest putting the bucket so high. High flow isn't necessarily a good thing. In this case, slow and steady really does win he race!
 
I would suggest letting them carb up for a minimum of 2 weeks at least. One probably wont do it. After 2 weeks, put one in the fridge for 2 days or so and crack that baby open and see if it is fully carbed. I seem to have best results waiting 3 to 4 week before my beers are carbed fully.
 
I would recommend always sanitize the caps as well. I have always sanitized both bottles and caps with IO Sanitizer after rinsing with hot water to get the dust and/or previous beer out of it. Very quick and easy, and always sanitary.
 
histo320, he said that he added his priming sugar to 2 and a half cups of water then boiled it. Sanitizing cap is just as important as sanitizing all your other equipment.
 
Sorry, yes I used a bottling wand which allowed me to fill it pretty consistently.

Ya I used 2 1/2 cups water to dissolve the priming sugar in per the instructions on the kit and from what I have read.

The reason I put it so high was because I was getting a lot of air in the line when trying to fill the bottle and it was not flowing out very good. I think it was just do to gravity and the way my tubing was positioned. Once I put it up, I had a nice consistent flow.

I santized the caps because I had read on here that it was a good idea. It also makes sense to me. If sanitation is one of the most important elements when messing with anything that touches the beer, the bottle caps certainly fall in that category. But like most other things, you can probably get away without doing it without noticing any ill affects.

One thing that did not go so smoothly involved the bottling wand. The little white cap where the spring and everything sits popped off while I was filling a bottle which gave me know way to stop the flow. Some quick thinking and I stood up and turned the spigot off. I resanitized the end and continued on.
 
1-rince bottle after drinking and let it dry upside down
2-wait til I have 12 bottles cleaned
3-place them in a bucket w/OxyClean
4-when I have another 12 bottles I take out the first batch, lables are gone by then.
5-rince and let drip dry upside down (the 12 that just came out of the oxyClean
6-store the cleaned, de-labled,dry bottles in a closed plastic box
7-soak clean bottles in Star San on bottleing day for a few minutes
7a-put bottle caps in a strainer and dip into StarSan and let drip
8-place bottles on lower rack of dishwasher after spraying StarSan on the rack
9-place bottling bucket on the diswasher
10-fill bottles and place on counter
11-place sanitized caps on bottles and cap.
Easy Squeezy Lemon Peeze. or what ever that means. :) LOL
 
I strip labels with a star-san/oxi clean mixture in a 5 gallon bucket. The labels pretty much fall off after an hour of soaking. Like you, I sanitize the caps, seems like a no-brainer to me. Also, like you I mix 5 gallons of sanitizer in my bottling bucket and then drain into a separate bucket to sanitize everything that the beer will touch along it's merry little way into the bottles.
 
I use my automatic dishwasher to sanitize my bottles. Just put them through about 3 hours on the highest heat setting before I'm ready to bottle so they have time to cool. Then I take them straight out if the dishwasher as I bottle. Has worked great for me so far. Anyone else use this method?
 
I, too, use my dishwasher to sanitize my bottles before bottling. I make absolutely certain, however, that there is NO CRUD in them before I put them in the dishwasher. The drying heat portion of the cycle does the sanitation. And I put my bottling bucket on the kitchen counter OVER the dishwasher, and use the dishwasher's door as a bottling "table." Cleanup is simple: close the dishwasher door when you are done! And I, too, have always sanitized the bottle caps...just throw them in a small container filled with Star San.

glenn514:mug:
 
I typically clean the labels off with a soak, then clean with stars an the day of bottling. I use my dishwasher rack as a drying rack (after sanitizing), but only cause my dishwasher sucks big time
 
I also use the dishwasher to remove the labels. Again put on the hottest setting, I put the labeled bottles in the dishwasher, and then stop it just before the dry cycle so the bottles are still wet. The labels usually come right off, and I use a mr. Clean magic eraser to get off any residual glue. Works really well with most bottles. (Except Maine beer co and jacks Abby. They use a waterproof label and it must be crazy glue to put them on! Which is too bad because the use great 16.9oz bottles.)
 
histo320, he said that he added his priming sugar to 2 and a half cups of water then boiled it. Sanitizing cap is just as important as sanitizing all your other equipment.

This is why I love this site, you learn something new everyday. :rockin: I never even thought about sanitizing caps. Looks like I will start.
 
The reason I put it so high was because I was getting a lot of air in the line when trying to fill the bottle and it was not flowing out very good. I think it was just do to gravity and the way my tubing was positioned. Once I put it up, I had a nice consistent flow.

How long is your tube between the BB spigot and the wand?

You only want enough tubing there to firmly connect the two (about 3"). That way it won't flop around when you depress the button on the wand and you'll have no issues with positioning the tube.

Oh, I didn't see any mention in the OP of very gently stirring with a sanitized spoon to ensure even distribution of the priming sugar.
 
I used the same tubing that I use for for my siphon. Guess I will go get a smaller piece. You do learn something new everyday on here. I did not stir I racked in top and then sort of had a small whirlpool going from the siphoned beer entering the bucket. I didn't want to oxygenate the beer. What does everyone else do?
 
I've been doing like you and just racking onto the priming sugar solution. However, on my last few batches, I have begun to worry about whether I'm getting even carbonation, so I think I may try gently stirring with a sanitized SS spoon next time. It's not a big difference, may simply depend on how I happen to pour a particular bottle, so I'm not sure it'll matter.

For sanitizing, I prefer to do a few bottles at a time to limit the amount of time a bottle sits around empty after sanitizing. I use a spray bottle filled with sanitizer (Saniclean or Star-San) and spritz inside a few times, then once over the top of the bottle to get the lip, and then pour out the excess. I usually do this in batches of 6. After sanitizing 6 bottles, I pull out 6 caps and spritz those with sanitizer. This keeps me from getting bored while giving the sanitizer enough contact time (not such a big deal with Star-San, but it's 2-3 minutes for Sani-Clean). Then I fill the bottles, and when all 6 are full, I cap them. (Actually, I may prep the next 6 bottles before capping, I don't recall offhand.)
 
For carbing solution I put it in thirds. And I gently stir before I begin bottling. As long as you're not sloping it around, you should be fine.

One thing do check out the bottling sticky. You may find the advice there will give you a better process. the couple inches of tubing people were talking about is just the connection between the wand and the shut off valve. Then you bring the bottle up to the wand and fill vs. using a long tube and filling on the floor. I do this over the dishwasher door, where my sanitized bottles wait. I spill maybe a table spoon this way. More beer gets in the bottles less on the floor.
 
I have found it helpful to gently...again, G-E-N-T-L-Y...stir the beer and the priming sugar solution to insure that all is mixed evenly. I had one batch quite a while ago in which I had several "gushers," probably caused by uneven mixing of the priming sugar. Since I've been gently...again G-E-N-T-L-Y...stirring the wort, I have not had another problem.

And the hose connecting my filler to the spigot on the bottling bucket is about ONE INCH long. That's really about all that's needed.

And definitely read, mark and learn Revvy's thread about bottling! There is soooo much great information in there!!!

glenn514:mug:
 
Then you bring the bottle up to the wand and fill vs. using a long tube and filling on the floor. I do this over the dishwasher door, where my sanitized bottles wait.

I did this the first few times, using the rack as a bottle rack, but even with a short spigot-to-wand tube, there's not enough clearance to comfortably get the bottles into place. So now I just use the counter with a cookie sheet on the floor to catch drips.

I inevitably have to mop the floor after a bottling session, so minor spills aren't a big deal...
 
also do the short tube. just enough to fit the spigot and bottling wand on tightly, like the wand is part of the spigot.

then bring the bottle to the wand and fill, instead of moving the wand from bottle to bottle
 
"I did this the first few times, using the rack as a bottle rack, but even with a short spigot-to-wand tube, there's not enough clearance to comfortably get the bottles into place. So now I just use the counter with a cookie sheet on the floor to catch drips."

I turn my stockpot upside down and place the bottling bucket on it, so the end of the bottline wand is about 3 inches below the counter top.

I adjusted things to make my bottling enjoyable, low strain and fast. If you find yourself bending over a lot or getting a sore back, elevate the bottling bucket. I use my dishwasher door for much more than a catch too. I put about a case and a half of clean bottles on it and work from that spot. I can fill 55 bottles in about 15 minutes through normal motion.

Also I use a small piece of plumbing attachments for the inside of the bucket that creates a suction so I don't have to tip the bucket. I just fill from it. I am left with an 8h to 16th inch of beer in the bottom.

The big thing is set up your bottling in the most comfortable way possible. For me, once I sit to bottle, I don't have to get up till I am ready to cap. I lay out my filled bottles by 12 and 22 case counts, so when I cap, I cap a case of 12s then a case of 22s. Then usually another 5 22s or 7 12s.

cheers.
 
It actually works out better for me not to be at the dishwasher, due to the layout of my kitchen. I might try raising it up for its own sake, but I dont find myself leaning over too far.

In my case, I like to break it up. I sit to fill bottles, then stand to cap them, then walk across the kitchen to put them away, etc. (That's like 10 feet, so it's not a trek.) I find this helps keep me from getting stiff/sore, and keeps me more alert.
 
It is whatever works best for you, not what works for me and you have to copy. What you want to do is look at different ideas and steal what you think will work for you and how you like to do it. As they say, "make it yours."

Cept for music.. must be Van Morrison when bottling Irish Red Ale. If you read your brew notes, you'll find it in the small print bottom right... ;)
 
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